I am excited that Fall is just around the corner. Kids get their reading lists, and I am ready to make reading fun. Most people see Spring as the time for new growth, but for me it is Fall because this is where learning begins again. Yesterday, as I was walking near my home, I stopped to chat with a young mother and her daughter. Her daughter was eating blue bubble gum flavored ice cream, it looks like it, so I asked. It was a beautiful day, and I told the mom that I had just finished a session with an exciting new client, and then the mom asked me if I understood how to help with tracking. This is when the child can read and understand, but may not be able to keep his or her place when given a large piece of text. I gave the mom 2 ideas I would like to share.
I often make what I call a reading window from an index card, and use a blade to cut a window that is the same dimension of a line of text. This helps students whose eyes simply see too many words. With diligence,the number of words comprehended can be tracked by taking simple data, and the window made larger if necessary and then faded out over time.
Another problem with trackers is serif vs. non serif texts.
Sans serif fonts are easier to read, and can help a new reader. Only for the sake of teaching, consider the text, and enlarge it, or use portions adapted to san serif for easier reading! Happy School year!